Frequently Asked Questions

Setting up a home office can often be difficult due to the demands of the home environment. Separating the responsibilities specific to the home from those of your work is often difficult to do. Keeping the physical location of your office away from the areas of heavy traffic in your home is a good start. To make this transition easier you should consider each of the following, as they apply to you:

• Effective time management • Creating and following a priority list • Rules for children and other members of the household • Knowing when to take breaks • The importance of exercise • Allocating family time

How can I design a functional workspace? A workspace is generally the area that can be swept by arm motions pivoting at the elbow with some shoulder movements and no upper body twisting. This main area is used for a variety of basic tasks including writing, reading and computer work. The size or span of the primary workspace should complement the task being performed.

Things To Consider, Possible Concerns and Solutions

Is your workstation used by more than you alone? Your work habits and personal body size may be quite different from those of the person you share with. Make sure all furnishings are easily adjusted to suit the needs of all parties.

Do you use a pointing device, such as a mouse? Overuse of the mouse and awkward posture could bring on repetitive strain injuries. Make sure you have a comfortable and stable platform for your pointing device (mouse), and your chair has armrests for additional support.

Extensive use of the telephone during key-stroking or writing. Fatigue due to holding the phone handset and operating a keyboard at the same time. Use a hands-free telephone or a phone head-set which will allow you to maintain a normal posture while operating your computer.

Tasks requiring computer use for extensive periods. Fatigue and discomfort from constantly sitting in the same position. Teach yourself to take small rest breaks, stretch your muscles and adjust your chair for a fresh posture position.

Handling and processing of a large amount of paper. Repetitive unnatural twisted reaching could cause repetitive strain injuries. Organize your primary work area to include the paper flow; additional desk tray organizers may be a cost-effective solution.

Global manufactures ergonomic office seating for every application, and the comfort possibilities are endless!

Ergonomic and Task Chairs Task seating is an ideal choice for individuals spending large amounts of time seated at their workstations, dedicated to certain tasks. Task, or Operator, chairs are "ergonomically" designed to work with you. Easily adjustable chair surfaces allow you to move around freely and help to maintain support for your back, legs and arms as you change body positions. Task chairs can be the difference between absolute comfort and irritating distress.

Global manufactures a complete range of the most up-to-date ergonomic Task chairs with prices to suit any budget and styles that respond to your individual, everyday needs. The products featured below are some examples of our most popular Task and Operator seating lines.

Management Chairs Managerial, or Executive, office seating is designed to provide hours of comfort, for the manager that is the sole user of his/her chair. Traditional managerial seating comes equipped with high, wide back, deep seat and 'ergonomic' features to facilitate the time spent at a desk, computer or workstation. Modern work ethics require a comfortable chair which will encourage the user to remain productive throughout the often long work week. Although Management seating does not offer as many seating adjustment options as many other chairs, today's executives can take advantage of sophisticated knee-tilt and other tilter mechanisms. These will ensure that feet are kept flat on the floor for added comfort. For the executive, Management seating is often covered in Leather or Upholstered in other quality fabrics.

Conference Chairs Formal meetings, impromptu team gatherings and presentations, are typical business situations all requiring stylized, conference seating. The traditional boardroom setting is migrating towards conference meeting rooms flavored by the culture and traditions unique to the individual organization. These conference areas can be furnished with Task, Guest or Management seating – the choice is entirely yours!

Guest Chairs Guest seating or side chairs are generally offered with a sled base or as a four-legged chair without casters. Guest chairs often function as a comfortable seating solution for short periods of time, most commonly in a waiting area. Designed to complement Executive and Task seating, these chairs are usually available with or without arms.

Global commonly features a side chair in each of its seating series to provide you with the best options possible for your total office needs.

The pneumatic height adjustment on a Global chair lets you alter your seating position throughout the day with a smooth, easy, one-touch action.

Please remain seated. Make sure all adjustment controls can be reached from a seated position. Keep moving. Multi-tilt and operator mechanisms are important for data entry or computer work. They let you vary your position while maintaining maximum support.

Good chairs have casters for easy mobility. Be sure to get the right kind for your floor. Choose a chair with a choice of casters designed for carpets, hard surfaces or a combination.

At the center of your office chair is the mechanism which interacts with you through different seating functions. Each individual has a unique, optimal comfort level when seated. Chair mechanisms are offered in a variety of designs which all provide a different degree of manual or automatic adjustment. The user should consider a pneumatic cylinder which gives you "finger-tip" seat height adjustment. Your daily work routine will help you to decide which style of mechanism is best suited to your needs.

There are three seating positions in the workplace pertaining to proper ergonomics.

Adjust the height so the highest point of the seat is just below the knee cap.

Your thighs should be parallel to the floor, when you sit.

This allows you to place your feet on the floor insuring good circulation in the legs.

Use a footrest if the feet cannot rest flat on the floor or if there is pressure underneath the thighs. The footrest should be adjustable and support the whole foot.

Sit so that the clearance between the front edge of the seat and the upper part of the legs behind the knee, is at least one finger width.

Adjust the back height to provide support to the lumbar or lower back area. This will help you to maintain correct posture and reduce back pain.

Adjust the seat angle by unlocking the mechanism to tilt the seat forward or rearward when working for extended periods of time. This mimimizes pressure on the underside of the thighs and reduces tension on back muscles.

Adjust the back angle to provide firm support and help reduce back fatigue.

Adjust the optional armrest height to your comfort.

If using a fixed height worksurface, raise the chair to obtain the proper arm and upper body position.

Adjust chair height so elbows are about the same height as the worksurface.

Armrests are an important comfort feature of your chair. In most seating series, armrests can be added to armless chairs, and standard arms can be replaced with optional arms.

Armrest Awareness

Too High

Raises the shoulders tensing the muscle

Too Low

Places you in a leaning posture

Closes the rib cage around the lungs

Reducing your capacity to draw oxygen that the blood needs to carry to your muscles

Too Far Apart

Shoulders will overwork

Too Close

Interferes with relaxed keystrokes

Not able to place your hands on your lap when not in use (should do this as often as possible, palms facing down, to let the whole system relax)

Too Thin

Requires extra muscular effort to keep your arms on them

Additional Armrest Options

Specialty height and height/angle adjustable armrests enable you to place your arms in a comfortable working position determined by the task at hand. Global carries many different styles of arms from which to choose. The following are a few examples:

MAXsupport™ The MAXsupport arm provides superior comfort by supporting your wrists and arms through a wide range of motions. Movement is smooth and precise for both mousing and keying.

Vari-Width™ An ergonomic feature, the Vari-Width arm maximizes support of the shoulders as it accommodates individual body types by allowing you to adjust the width by up to 2" outward from either side of your chair.

Ergogel™ Ergogel armcaps are the latest in ergonomic technology providing high shock absorption for your arms. Adapted from the medical field, Ergogel has been used in the treatment of burn victims and those people whose body movement is restricted. This cool, body conforming gel distributes weight evenly and helps to eliminate pressure points.

Data from the Consumer Product Safety Commissions Injury Information Clearinghouse indicates that people are sometimes hurt by falling from chairs. Usually resulting in bumps, bruises, strains and sprains, these injuries are almost always easily treated. It is still important however, to take adequate precautions to prevent injuries before they occur. This document can help you maintain the safe use of your office chair.

Do's

Always follow the assembly directions completely. Make sure all the pieces are placed in proper order so that the chair stays tight and together.

Pay special attention to making sure the casters or wheels are fully inserted into the base of the unit.

Look for office chairs that have a 5-legged base.

Every 6 months or so, make sure all the parts of the chair are tightened to ensure stability.

Always keep the base of the chair completely on the floor.

Most office chairs are equipped with casters for use on carpeted surfaces. For other surfaces, speak to your retailer or manufacturer for appropriate custom selection.

Many office chairs are equipped with a tension control on the mechanism to compensate for different body weights. Always ensure that the control is properly adjusted, resulting in a smooth and controlled tilt motion.

Don'ts

Don't lean so far back in your chair that the wheels or legs lift up off the floor. Leaning can cause the chair to slip out from under you, cause structural damage, or can loosen important connections that can cause the chair to fall apart.

Never put all your weight at the very front edge of the chair. If you sit too far forward, the chair can tip over. Use a chair with a forward tilt mechanism if the task requires sitting in a forward position.

Don't leave electrical appliances on upholstered chairs. Fire can result if they overheat. Be careful when smoking cigarettes or carrying lighted material around upholstered chairs.

Don't overwork your chair. Chairs in medical institutions or in other locations that are used 24 hours a day, get three times the use of a normal office chair. Inspect and maintain those chairs at least every 60 days.

Determine your needs. Choose either a modern design or wood grain. Writing surfaces are pieces of furniture that are used quite a bit, so you’ll want a choice that finds and combines the best form and function.

Measure your workspace. If it’s a small area, you’ll need to take a look at a compact desk, possibly with a hutches and lower storage compartments. If it’s a larger area, L-shaped or U-shaped might be an option.

Look for European connectors if you’re buying ready-to-assemble furniture. Global makes assembly easy – all you need is a screwdriver.

Avoid tangles. Make sure your desk has at least one grommet hole to keep computer and telephone wires out of the way.

Give your business an edge. Each Global desk series come with its own attractive edge design.

Island worksurfaces let you meet with more than two people at once with ample leg room for all.

Choose one of Global’s height/angle adjustable keyboard trays to go with your desk. Your arms can maintain a comfortable position, reducing shoulder, back and neck strain.

Archive Files – Usually stored away from the main work area and are infrequently accessed.

Current Files – These files are the most frequently used and are normally smaller in scale. They should be stored within reach or very close to your work area.

Active Files – There are two types of active filing.

Personal Files – These files pertain to your work process and affect the performance of your office tasks. These files would be located within your working area for easy retrieval

Company Files – These files generally support a department(s) and are usually found in a common area within that department(s). Since these files are generally shared by others make sure you place them back in their proper location when you have finished

Within all of the above it is sometimes broken down into the following areas; retrieval, staging, storing materials, supplies, equipment, tools and additional information (like catalogs & reference material). Understanding and implementing the above in your planning will assist you and your colleges productivity. In order to save time and frustration for others and yourself, make a form that indicates who has the file out, this will save time and stress for all.

Consider safety when setting up your filing area.

Do not place filing cabinets so that the drawers open into the main aisles

Purchase lateral files that do not permit more than one drawer to open at a time

Use handles to close drawers to avoid catching fingers

Place all heavy objects in the bottom drawer

Do not store heavy objects on top of filing cabinets

Close filing cabinet drawers when not in use

Do not move filing cabinets when loaded

Use professional installers to install your product

Follow this advice and use common sense and you should have a safer office.

When searching for the right workstation it is important to consider its purpose which will be decided by the nature of your tasks. It is best to look for products that have been designed and engineered to help make your workspace more productive.

This can be achieved in a variety of ways. As a guide, observe how your work flows through your office in a typical day. It is likely that you’ll uncover a number of distinctive and repetitive task patterns.

Once these patterns have been identified, organize them according to their intended and frequency of their use. Now you are ready to investigate the pertinent factors that will determine the workspace you eventually select.

Insurance

Insurance should be upgraded to include

New office and equipment

Visiting clients, etc.

Tax Regulations

Qualifying tax regulations which may apply to your business

This may reflect your purchases

Lighting – Protect Yourself

If you have to setup near a window make sure your computer sits perpendicular to it, minimize eye-strain inducing glare on sunny days

If you have fluorescent lights, try to position your set up between the lights

Use 'Parabolic louvers' to reduce the glare from fluorescent lights

Use window blinds to control the light source through the day

Panels or screens may be used to control glare

Protect your eyes from Ultraviolet A (UVA) and Ultraviolet B (UVB) by using an anti-glare screen

Eye Protection Filter

Glare from your monitors generate two types of glare, specular and diffuse

Specular glare is reflected in smooth surfaces and is readily noticed since it has an image, like a reflection in a mirror

Diffuse glare is reflected from rough surfaces, such as white paper and has no image

Noise

Try to set up your office in a separate room if possible and away from the rest of the house

Ventilation

Make sure you have sufficient fresh air and ventilation

Place your laser printer and photocopier vents away from you and use unbleached paper as it is toxic free, and scent free supplies

Some household plants will remove benzene, carbon monoxide and formaldehyde from the air

Provide 'private' individual and/or group work areas through the use of:

Straight panels

Curved panels

Glazed panels ​

Provide additional storage through the use of:

Transaction tops

Overhead storage units ​

Direct the flow of traffic through the use of:

Five heights of panels

Eight widths of panels in six inch increments from 24" to 72"

Reduce glare by selecting proper panel heights from:

Ceiling lighting

Sunlight

Global has a number of panels to provide solutions to any of these areas.

Global's GPS Panels are an easy-to-use, completely portable system.

They may be freestanding or linked by hardware. The 'Chromed', 'Painted Epoxy' or 'Fabric Wrapped' steel frames, which coordinate with existing office furniture. GPS Panels offer four grades of fabrics to enhance any color scheme.

The first thought that often comes to mind when one thinks of a good fit is physically fitting into the chair and workstation. There is more to a good fit than accommodating physical size and shape. A good fit also means your furniture allows you to continuously move from one posture to another and to perform your job tasks.

Simply put: Fit = Move + Match + Support

Your furniture should:

Allow you to move through a variety postures

Match your physical shape and size

Support your body and your tasks including your work tools

Move Condition of Fit

It has long been known that the human body was designed to move. The circulatory system, joints and spinal discs require movement for healthy functioning. As you move, your muscles help to pump blood through your body, which delivers nutrition to, and removes waste from, your tissues. In the absence of good blood flow, not only is food delivery reduced, waste products build up in your tissues that over time makes your muscles feel tired and sore. Movement also contributes to proper lubrication of your joints and proper nutrition of your spinal discs.

Even if your tasks don't require you to move, you must keep moving. When selecting furniture, look for features that allow movement. The chair mechanism has a lot to do with your options for movement as it includes the tilt feature e.g. multi-tilt, weight-sensing, synchro-tilt, knee-tilt. Make sure you choose the one that is right for you and your tasks. Other chair features that allow you to move from one posture to another include seat angle and back angle. Some workstations come with adjustable features that also allow you to move for example an articulating keyboard tray that allows you to change the position of your keyboard and mouse as you move from one posture to another.

Match Condition of Fit

Physically fitting into a chair or workstation is the easiest Fit condition for a user to judge. You know when your feet are dangling, or if the seat cushion is too long and pushes into the back of your calves or if the work surface feels too high. When your body dimensions are accommodated it helps contribute to good blood flow by minimizing pressure points. Also furniture that is properly matched to your body helps minimize awkward or extreme postures, for example raised shoulders, thereby minimizing unnecessary muscular effort.

Some chairs come in different sizes to address differences in body shape and size. Others offer adjustable features, for example seat height which allows you to match the seat height to your lower leg length. Some work surfaces are adjustable in height and others come with adjustable support surfaces and adjustable monitor arms to allow you to match the heights and distances of work tools to your relevant body dimensions.

Support Condition of Fit

Proper support ensures alignment of the upper body, which includes the neck, shoulders and upper back. When properly supported, the muscles in these areas are in the best position to aid breathing. If your lower back is not properly supported when seated, it either straightens or curves the wrong way.

Support for the lower back should allow the pelvis to be tilted slightly forward to ensure a natural lumbar curve in the seated posture. Stabilization of joints goes hand in hand with proper alignment. Well-designed and properly used furniture goes a long way to contributing to the proper support.

Chair features such as back/lumbar height, which allow you to position the lumbar support in the curve of your lower back, are designed to provide the support you need. When your work tools are properly supported it helps minimize muscle fatigue and pain. Workstation features such as keyboard tray height, keyboard tray angle, mouse surface height and horizontal mouse position are designed to contribute to proper support.